Derek in Portland
by PXLight
Summary: Derek is forced to go to a medical convention in Portland where he has a run-in with none other than our favourite diagnostician, Gabriel Cunningham! This is a tiny one-shot on how the two first met. Inspired by BloodyRosalia! Review please!  :3


A/N: I get bored, so I enjoy making side-stories like this. If you don't get it, (though you don't have to) you can go read my main fanfic "Lost Hope" (I think this is a spoiler for Chapter 7 ...I know, as of 10/24/10, Chapter 7 isn't even up yet, so this is kinda a little sneak peak! =D). Then again you don't have to read it because like all side stories, they do great standing on their own anyways. I'm just saying that it has a little cameo in my other story, which is where the idea basically originated. This is basically my rendition on how Derek got to know Gabriel (SPOILER ALERT: Gabe seemed to know Derek fairly well when talking to him over the phone in Trauma Team).

Oh yeah, I don't think there are any spoilers in this story, oddly enough. I'm used to blabbing out a ton of events from games in my fanfics, so this is a first for me. There are a few OC's, but I made sure that I developed their personalities well enough in order for you (as the reader) to understand. I also made up a couple of personalities for names of people anyone who has played Trauma Team should already know, so there.

I'll be honest though... I have no idea when this takes place... =P Just any time after Derek got kidnapped... but enough time so that Lisa and Gabriel never met yet. And I don't know what happened, but around the beginning, the story morphed into something I hadn't been expecting, so I was pretty surprised.

Alright!  
Enjoy this random oneshot! =3

READ!

_The vibe of a surgeon! XD_

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* * *

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Derek Stiles was on his way by train to Portland. Though it was quite a distance from Angeles Bay, the scenery made him smile, so in the end, it was all worthwhile anyways. It was still 5 in the morning, so outside, it was rather dark, but the train provided plenty of light, so there really was no concern.

Derek was on his way to yet another medical convention in a casual white jacket (despite the warm weather... it's not like those winter jackets though), a black shirt, and neat black jeans. Apparently, they wanted him there in order to discuss Vaihemese Fever and how to detect it and its treatment. Because Derek wasn't really much of a public speaker, Angie and Cybil helped him make a script with a speech and a slideshow to follow. Thinking about speaking in front of people still made the master surgeon nervous, so for the umpteenth time, he pulled out the script to review it once more in his head.

After getting lazy and only reading up to about half of it, the man put the script back into his black messenger bag (which happened to contain all the contents he brought with him to this trip) then looked out the window once more. It's a shame that he wasn't tired; the espresso he had earlier did wonders, but now sleeping for a time-killer was no longer an option.

Derek looked around his train cabin. He never really realized that he was all alone until now. Seeing all the empty seats ended up making him feel rather lonely. If it weren't for the brilliant light keeping him company, the surgeon would have been gravely frightened of his situation. He had watched a late horror film the other day about ghosts on a train attacking people...

While Derek was occupied with his thoughts, an attendant came out of nowhere. "Would you like anything this morning sir?" she asked politely.

Even with the gentle tone of her twinkly voice, Derek still jolted up in fear. He hadn't notice her enter the cabin. At first, he was confused as to why there was an attendant, but then he remembered how Caduceus had paid for a first class round trip train ticket. _"I guess being a master surgeon means that some aspects of life can be lived in luxury."_ Derek quietly thought, being thankful for his skills afterwards.

The surgeon looked up to the attendant and smiled to himself. The attendant looked remarkably like Angie with her flowing blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes. Her face was calm and kind, but he could tell that on the inside, she was a very serious woman. Seeing her face made Derek realized how much he missed Angie right now. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to come with him to Portland because unlike him, she couldn't afford to miss a day or two.

Noticing how the man in front of her was staring at her face without saying anything, the attendant began to back off awkwardly. Suddenly, the train hit a slight bump, causing her to almost fall hadn't it been for Derek catching her.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked exasperated. He looked at her directly into her eyes and she simply smiled back in return.

"Yes, I'm fine." Derek helped the woman back up onto her feet. "Thank you..." She was hesitant because she didn't know the name of the only passenger of this cabin.

"Oh, I'm Derek." he replied. "Derek Stiles... I'm a doctor. It's a pleasure to have met you Ms..."

"...Meele." the woman replied. "My name is Catherine Meele and the pleasure is mine. Thank you for 'saving' me, Mr. Stiles." She then brushed herself off and fixed some hair that had escaped her clip and were now hanging over her face. She then looked carefully into the surgeon's eyes and blushed. She had seen these eyes before. "Do you happen to know a Cammy Meele?" Catherine asked.

"Oh yes..." Derek replied. "No offence, but that was a rather eccentric case. She was somehow poisoned with some modified bubble soap and we had to operate on some burns created on the inside of her throat."

"Yes, that's the one!" Catherine replied with a smile. "She happens to be my younger sister!"

"Oh, well that explains the resemblance!" Derek replied. "The both of you are rather beautiful woman... I believe that she was a flight attendant, correct?"

"Yes sir." Catherine replied. "We both had similar jobs, but she was still a world apart from me. We are like polar opposites." Catherine looked down on a certain spot and Derek hid his smile. "Thank you for saving her, Doctor."

"Oh, it was nothing."

Derek sighed and took his place back his seat and sighed successfully. He was glad that, even in this time and place, he was able to help someone. He always seemed to find joy in helping people... this is one of the main reasons as to why he became a doctor. Catherine had to attend to the passengers in the other cabins, so seeing that her assistance wasn't needed here she bid farewell to the lonely passenger and made her way to the other cabins.

Derek glanced down at his watch. It was now 6:05 AM. Turns out that his little encounter with Catherine Meele managed to kill some time. He looked out to the window and was glad that his window was facing to the east. He was just in time to watch the Sun rise over the rather mountainous horizon. He watched carefully as the sky turned from a black night filled with stars into a brilliant purple, orange and yellow while a humongous breath-taking ball of light made its way to its respective place in the middle of the sky.

"It won't be long till I get to Portland now..." Derek murmured after watching in amazement at the beautiful sight. "It's not every day I get to watch sunrise... I rarely have time for this back at Angeles Bay."

And with that, Derek decided to pick up his cell phone and call Angie, mainly to entertain himself knowing that Angie isn't too busy in this hour (even if it means waking her out of her sleep.)

* * *

At around 8:35, Derek finally got off the train into Portland Station. He noticed that the air smelled fresh and of salty sea water (which was to be expected because Portland was by a shore). A gentle enlightening breeze ran through his hair, allowing Derek to treasure the warm temperatures and cool breeze. His legs were a little unfit to walk considering how long the train ride took, but otherwise, it was a relief to be out in open air.

Just as Derek was about to depart with his messenger bag casually slung over his white jacket, someone called back to him.

"Mr. Stiles!" Catherine exclaimed. She got off the train and went over to his side. Derek immediately noticed that she too had a bag strapped over her shoulder.

"Ah, Ms. Meele. How are you?" Derek replied with a soft smile.

"Actually, I have a break for a couple of hours in Portland, so I was kind of wondering if I can come along with you..." After she said it, Catherine looked a bit more hesitant. She had been so confident that this was the right thing to do earlier, but now that she said it, she seemed rather pushy and she didn't want to leave the wrong impression about her to the young doctor.

"Oh, that would be great!" Derek exclaimed happily. "Do you know your way around Portland?" Catherine quickly nodded. She had been on the same route for a while, so any time she had her break before the train departed once more, she had a lot of time to explore the city.

"I can take you to this amazing restaurant for breakfast!" Catherine replied with wide grin. There was a shimmering glow in her eyes and Derek caught onto it immediately. He was fond of that glow; Angie wore it on her too. It's how he knew that she was rather excited.

"Do you mind if I drop off my stuff at my hotel first?" Derek asked before the two of them walked towards the main street. "My company gave me a reservation and I'm due there for around nine."

"Alright, I'll accompany you there. I need to change too. I don't want to walk around all day in my uniform." The thought of how embarrassing something like that would be caused the two of them to chuckle. They then proceeded to catch a taxi and be on their way.

...

The two soon made it to the restaurant. Derek ordered scrambled eggs and a hot chocolate (he had it with caffeine) and Catherine simply ordered a bottle of water. The two then got around to talking about their lives and such. Derek noticed just how friendly his newfound friend was and barely touched his breakfast due to how intriguing their conversation was. In the end, Catherine noticed just how little Derek ate and reminded him of it, causing him to blush and chomp down everything in almost one gulp.

The two then got up after Derek insisted on paying for the bill. Just as they were about to leave the restaurant, Derek's group somehow managed to pick up yet another passenger.

"Lisa!" Catherine suddenly exclaimed when the two ran into another woman. "Long time no see!"

"Oh, Cathy Meele! It's been a while!" the other woman replied happily. The two then exchanged a quick hug to celebrate their reunion. "The last time I saw you, we were in this very restaurant! You must love this place, don't you?"

"Well, of course!" Catherine replied.

Derek smiled at the touching reunion, but seeing that he had no place here, he moved to leave, but then Catherine grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him. Derek yelped in surprise as the train attendant pulled him towards her in order to introduce him to her friend.

"Lisa, this is Derek Stiles." Catherine explained. "I actually met him on the train this morning and we became quick friends, isn't that right?"

"Yeah...!" Derek gave a wide smile, but was out of breath due to the surprising abrupt introduction. Soon, he managed to catch his breath and held out his hand politely. Lisa accepted it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms..."

"No, you can just call me Lisa." she replied. "No need to be so formal, Mr. Stiles."

"If you're allowing me to be casual, then I insist that you simply call me by Derek."

Lisa looked to Catherine, then back to Derek. She then smiled naughtily to herself. However, Catherine seemed to catch on and sighed.

"What are you thinking about, Lisa...?" Catherine was hesitant with the answer.

"Are you two...? You know..." Lisa then moved in closer to Catherine so Derek wasn't able to hear. "...going out?"

Catherine sighed. She already knew that her friend was rather paranoid when it came to relationships. "No, like I said, I had just met him this morning." Catherine whispered back. "But he is hot, isn't he?"

Lisa chuckled. "If you aren't careful, I'll get to him first!"

"Umm... are you girls done?" Derek suddenly asked. He felt kind of left out. The two women straightened themselves out and smiled at him.

"Sorry about that, Derek." Lisa replied. "Girl talk, you know?"

"Actually, no I don't. I'm a guy..." It was clear that Derek was unaware of the saying, but Catherine and Lisa let it go anyways. This actually made them up their game a little more... his innocence made him even more of a precious prize.

Seeing the way the women were eyeing him caused Derek to shift uncomfortably. If he could guess what they were thinking, he would guess that they wanted him to... The thought made him gulp nervously.

Derek glanced down at his watch. "Oh look at the time!" he suddenly exclaimed. "I have a medical convention to prepare for, so I'll be on my way!" The master surgeon gave one of his most enthusiastic smiles as he immediately walked quickly away from the now two disappointed girls. Suddenly, Lisa came running with a handkerchief.

"Wait, here's my number!" Lisa exclaimed as she stuffed the handkerchief with numbers into Derek's pocket against his will. "Promise you'll call me?"

"Alright, when I have the time." Derek replied. And with that, he walked off with relief running through his head. He always did have an uncomfortable stance when he was around girls who thought of him in _that_ way.

Just as he was walking down the street towards his hotel (fortunately, Catherine brought him to a restaurant close by his hotel, so it was a walking distance), someone pulled him around the corner.

"Wh-what was that for?" Derek exclaimed angrily. "I need to get back to my..." Suddenly, he looked into the eyes of a man who was slightly taller than him, but was around the same age.

"I know you..." the man stated. He shifted the cigarette in his mouth slightly, which gave Derek a more intimidated impression of him. "...You're a pretty famous surgeon, right?"

"Umm... yes. That's a pretty decent way to put it." Derek replied with shifty eyes. He felt like being modest in fear of bad things occurring once the man knew of his true skill level. "I'm pretty good at surgery." He was unsure with what the man wanted with him. He then realized that the man was wearing a white lab coat... not a Delphi uniform like the last person who had kidnapped him was wearing.

"Ah, then _he_ is a very lucky person." The man chuckled lightly. "You see, I just got a call from my colleague that I needed to return to Resurgam as soon as I could in order to help out in an operation. However, I had other important things to deal with right now, so I would be drastically late and the patient could... well, you know. Do you think you could go for me?"

"Umm... Resurgam?"

"It's the hospital just down the road. You'll be able to spot it if you continue up this road, then turn on Main Street." The man then began to run in the opposite direction. "I'll meet up with you soon! And at that point in time, I'll repay you!"

Derek watched as the man turned onto a road and out of sight. He then sighed at how conveniently this was placed. "I guess I'm stuck going there..." Derek sighed. "This better not be a trap."

* * *

Derek soon got to Resurgam and as soon as he explained his situation with one of the staff members (who seemed to be part of the EMT and was very familiar with the suspicious character Derek ran into a few minutes ago; she began to rampage around the hospital, really angry that **he** would pull something off like this), he simply helped out with an operation as back-up. He didn't tell anyone his name, so there was no need for him to do the operation on his own (it happened before... he didn't exactly want it to happen again).

After assisting in the operation (which happened to be on a PGS patient), Derek was thanked politely by the staff and was given a ride back to his hotel to repay for his services. Once he arrived at his hotel, Derek took a quick shower and began to practise his speech. He rushed it because he had managed to lose some practise time with that little sidetrack adventure.

Soon, he was all ready. He then threw on his white jacket and black shirt and headed down to the convention center.

* * *

"Ugh... these stupid conventions bore me." Gabriel sighed as Esha sat beside him. The only reason he was here was because his Chief forced him to come. Apparently, there would be a speech on how to detect Vaihemese fever, something Gabriel didn't really know how to do.

Gabriel Cunningham was the most brilliant diagnostician in Resurgam, but he also had a rather lazy streak behind him. Just a few moments ago, he had grabbed a guy off the street and asked them to go to the hospital in his place to assist for an operation. However, he had a pretty good excuse.

He had to go pick up an important package for his latest attempt to impress the love of his life: Lisa. Though he knew doing that has got to be one of the worst things he's ever done and that Maria, an EMT personnel who seemed as though she held a grudge against him for no apparent reason, would pick on him about this later, somehow, he knew that everything would be okay.

This was mainly because the guy he had pulled out seemed to have that special vibe that he picked up on.

The vibe of a surgeon.  
Of a hero.

And that's how Gabriel guessed that he had to be rather famous; aside from the face that brought back nostalgic feelings.

"_Up next is Dr. Derek Stiles discussing Vaihemese Fever." _

"Gabe, have you heard about Derek Stiles?" Esha asked to the diagnostician excitedly. She seemed to be a big fan of him. "He's the guy on the front lines on the war against GUILT!"

"Oh yeah, I've heard of him over the radio." Gabriel replied. "Although, I've never met him."

"Then maybe we can go after the convention and talk to him afterwards."

"That sounds great..." Gabriel sighed. He had been bored for a while now. Thoughts of this convention ending made him smile, so as of now, he couldn't wait to speak to this Stiles person.

Soon, Derek made his way onto the podium. Gabriel was close enough to get a good look at his features.

And he gasped.

It turns out that guy he randomly pulled out of the streets was none other than the medical prodigy and the world's saviour Derek Stiles himself!

"Hey Esha..." Gabriel hissed to his Chief.

"Yes?"

"Remember how I said that I never met Derek Stiles before... scratch that."

While Esha looked at the man beside him in concern and confusion, Gabriel was intent on listening to what this "master surgeon" had to say, considering that his topic was the whole reason as to why he was here in the first place.

"Good afternoon everyone." Derek stated. "As you all know, I'm Derek Stiles... and I'm here today to discuss Vaihemese fever..."

"Well, this guy is a bore..." Gabe rolled his eyes. "I hope I don't fall asleep..."

Derek then went on with the speech that Angie had kindly prepared, throwing in a few jokes here and there. Fortunately with him, as the speech progressed, he got more and more comfortable with the idea of public speaking. Afterwards, he bowed and everyone applauded for his speech. Derek sighed in accomplishment, waved, and then got off the stage.

"Esha, I gotta go." Gabriel suddenly said as he watched the surgeon get off the stage. Esha looked back at him with a concerned look, but remained in her seat.

* * *

Gabriel ran down the hallway just in time to catch Derek in the front lobby. He was sitting down in one of the chairs, relaxing after a successful speech. "Hey you!" he called out. "Dr. Stiles!"

At the sound of his name, Derek looked up, only to find the man he had met earlier. He then got up and tensed. "What do you want now?" Derek whined. "I helped out with that operation you wanted me to help in... any more favours you need done because otherwise, I'll just leave."

"No, no more favours, don't worry about that." Gabriel chuckled. "I'm sorry about the way I acted. You see, I was on my way to..."

"There's no need to tell me your excuse." Derek cut in. "I'm just glad that I could help and that you weren't a remnant of Delphi who sought revenge over me." Derek chuckled lightly at his joke, but seeing that the man in front of him didn't understand it, Derek dropped it and left it off with a smile.

"Do you want to step outside?" Gabriel asked. "I have the feeling that the both of us need some fresh air."

"Do I really look that tired?" Derek sighed. "Well, after that speech, I guess I am pretty tired. It would be a good idea to do just that." The two doctors then stepped outside. Gabriel grabbed a cigarette and lit it. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to smoke while in the convention building, which was part of the reason he was so grumpy in there. What kind of person smokes around important doctors?

"My name is Gabriel Cunningham." Gabriel explained after placing the cigarette in his mouth. Derek kindly accepted the handshake.

"And I'm Derek Stiles." he replied. The two then sighed. "It sure is getting late." Derek sighed in a casual tone. "Do you happen to reside in Resurgam, Mr. Cunningham?"

"Please, just call me Gabe." Gabriel replied. "And yeah, I do. My chief suggested that I visit this convention because it was in town and apparently I need to learn more on how to be a diagnostician." the doctor sighed.

There was a small pause before Derek spoke. "... So why did you need my help?" he asked due to lack of a better topic. He didn't really want to know, but he figured since there was nothing else to talk about...

"Oh see... there's this girl I love." Gabriel stated enthusiastically, which was unlike him. He began to blush and Derek quickly caught note of it. "Her name is Lisa. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen... I was actually just picking up an important package to impress her."

"Ah... woman problems." Derek sighed with a cheerful tone. "There's this girl I love too back at Angeles Bay, but I'm unsure how to impress her." Derek smiled and looked up to the sky, imagining Angie's brilliant smile that always lit up his day in comparisons to the bright stars that watched over Portland. "Well, I hope you have good luck with your woman." Derek smiled and began to walk off.

"You're not staying for the rest of the convention, Dr. Stiles?"

"Unfortunately, I find these conventions rather tedious and boring." Derek smirked. "This time around, my chief forced me to attend."

"_It seems like we have something in common."_ Gabriel thought. "I hope I get the amazing opportunity to speak to you again, Dr. Stiles!" he called out to the parting doctor.

"We probably will!" Derek placed on hand to hold onto his messenger bag and placed another hand in the pocket of his jacket. He then felt the handkerchief and remembered the number. He turned and found Gabriel walking back to the convention.

"Wait! Dr. Cunningham!"

Gabriel turned to see the medical prodigy running back to him with a rather girly handkerchief waving around in his hand. The diagnostician smirked at the thought, but then returned to his casually serious look.

"What is it?"

"Take this." Derek handed him the handkerchief with the number. "That person is expecting a call tonight, so call the number as soon as you get the chance."

And at that, Derek finally walked off for real.

"Wait! Who is it?"

"A girl I met at the restaurant this morning!" Derek called back. "I have sights for another girl, so I don't need it. Good luck, Dr. Cunningham!"

And so that was how Derek and Gabriel first met.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this..." Gabriel sighed. He picked up his phone and dialled the number he found messily scribbled on the handkerchief.

"_Hello?"_

"Umm... hi." Gabriel was unsure as to what he should say. He didn't even know who he was talking to. "To whom am I speaking to?"

"_Lisa."_

Gabriel gasped. _"You're kidding... Stiles got Lisa's number?" _he thought to himself. _"He doesn't even live in Portland... for a geeky doctor like him, he must be smooth... I could learn from him"_

Noticing the awkward silence, Lisa called out through the phone line_. "Hello? Are you still there? Who is this?"_

Gabriel quickly straightened himself up. "Oh, sorry about that!" he exclaimed, stumbling on a couple of words. "It's, umm... Gabe. Gabriel Cunningham."

"_Oh, I've heard of you!"_ Lisa giggled a bit. _"You sent me these Ascelpias, didn't you? I love these! Thank you! How did you know I love these flowers?"_

"Oh... I guessed." Gabriel chuckled. Noticing that he was chuckling for a bit too long, he stopped himself and forced himself to say something. This was his chance! "...Say, how would you like to come to a date with me this Friday?"

"_Sure! You sound like a wonderful man!"_ Lisa replied without even so much as hesitating. _"We can meet at the movies at seven, alright?"_

"Umm... sure! Sure, that will be fine." Gabriel coughed slightly. He said that a bit too over-enthusiastically. "I'll see you then?"

"_I'll see you then."_

The two then hung up simultaneously and sighed.

"Dr. Stiles... you can't stop saving people, can you?" Gabriel declared as he looked up to the ceiling while on the couch in his office. He let go of the phone and allowed it to fall to the ground. He took the cigarette out of his mouth as a sign of respect. "Thank you... I hope you share the same luck with your girl too..."

...

A couple hundred miles away, Derek was on the train once more, thinking about what was going on in Gabe's life. "Hehe, I hoped that helped..." Derek chuckled to himself. "Now if only I could get Angie to go out on a date with me..."

Overhearing Derek say this, Catherine sighed.  
So much for getting a cute boyfriend out of him.

* * *

A/N: Haha, I suck at writing romance and pairings. Now you see why I try my best to stay away from these kinds of stories... I'm still really young and unfortunately for me, I still haven't experience "true love"... (not that I want to right now, okay?)

Aww... I'm such an innocent little kid... don't pity me, alright?

Anyways... not too much spoiler-ness for both the actual Trauma Center series and my own fanfic "Lost Hope", but I swear that they're both connected. XD

Well, I hope you enjoyed this randomness (the plot was kinda bad, wasn't it... I'm not a very good makeshift writer... I got bored, so I'm not too overly concerned about the grammar... like i said, I did this for the heck of it, so don't flame me for the poor grammar usage and stuff). I swear I actually enjoyed making this... I should try making these kinds of stories more often! ^^

Yes, Cammy Meele is the same Cammy Meele in ME:AAI... just saying. (This was more of a spoiler for AAI than it was for Trauma Center/Team... wth?)


End file.
